A prime-time showdown under the lights awaits the NIU women’s soccer team.

Sporting a 2-1-1 record, the Huskies will travel to Omaha, Nebraska for two games in this weekend’s Bluejay Classic tournament hosted by Creighton University.

NIU squares off today at 7 p.m. against a CU team that is 1-1-2 this season. Both teams played Western Illinois University and ended up with 1-1 ties.

Drake University will play the Huskies at noon Sunday. DU has already played three teams ranked in the Top 25.

NIU practiced at Huskie Stadium Wednesday night to simulate their game to the field turf at CU. NIU beat DePaul 1-0 earlier this season playing on field turf.

“The turf is faster, and you get better control of the ball,” forward Karen Enockson said. “The entire game moves faster, but you get even bounces every time.”

The challenge on the field and the rigors of road travel await Marci Miller’s squad. Miller reminded her team to get ample rest, bring snacks and take care of all nagging injuries that can be compounded by time away from home.

“We want to make sure our heads are clear on the road and make sure we have no distractions,” the first-year coach said.

“These are two tough, physical teams. We want to use this challenge to prepare us for conference,” Miller said.

Miller stressed communication this week to her players and they practiced finding their defensive assignments.

“It is important to work on defending corners and clearing out balls,” Miller said. “We need to concentrate on clearing and winning balls in the box.”

NIU goalkeeper Carrie Dvorak is coming off a 1-0 shutout of DePaul. Her effort featured 22 saves.